The One Who Lives Within The Darkness
by EndlessLunacy
Summary: Akashi Seijuurou has always been special. Born with a unique ability, from an early age he has understood that being special is not always a good thing. Over the years, he trained himself and kept his ability hidden, quietly using it as entertainment for himself. Until one day, he encountered a man that he couldn't see through.
1. Chapter 1

A young man in his early twenties sat behind a large, intricately designed mahogany desk. Piles of papers and files were neatly organised on the desk, leaving enough space in the middle for the young man to work without hindrance. The sound of a pen scratching across paper resounded in the completely silent room. With one last glance at the documents before him, the young man closed the file and added it to the stack on his right, waiting for his secretary to come and collect them.

Placing down his pen, the young man leaned back into his large leather chair with a barely noticeable sigh. Turning his head to the right, his gaze fell upon the massive letters that spelled out the name of his company; _Akashi Corporation._

Reigning as the most famous business corporation for years, there was no one who did not know of Akashi Corporation. In contrast to the world-famous name, the previous owner of the company, Akashi Masaomi, had rarely showed himself in public and hardly anyone knew his true appearance. But that all changed when he introduced his heir to the business one day.

Akashi Seijuurou; with his eye-catching red hair and heterochromatic eyes, he drew the attention of the world when he inherited the business from his father. But it was not merely just because of his appearance, but rather, because of his near frightening abilities as a businessman. At the tender age of only eighteen, he assumed the position as president and owner of Akashi Corporation. Many were skeptical at first, but when Akashi Seijuurou raised the reputation and quality of the business to nearly tenfold of what it was in less than a year, all doubts were cleared and Akashi Seijuurou's name became one that terrified rival businesses.

Akashi Seijuurou was no longer known by the title 'Akashi Masaomi's son and heir', and instead, Akashi Seijuurou's name established its own position in the world, where just hearing his name would cause one to shiver in dread.

With a blink, Akashi drew his eyes away from the wall and from his recollections. He stood up from his chair, walking over to the row of full-length windows to his left. He stared down at the streets below, watching the people hurry to and fro in the lunch hour rush. He quickly ran through his schedule for the day in his head, and decided that he had enough time for a leisure lunch.

Just in time, a knock came from the other side of the room's door.

"Enter."

His secretary opened the door quietly, and smiled at Akashi as she saw him standing by the windows. Momoi Satsuki; Akashi's highly capable secretary. Her long bright pink hair, large eyes and a slender figure with a large chest had men falling over their feet trying desperately to gain even one second of her attention. But none were successful.

"Akashi-kun, will you be having your lunch outside today?" Momoi asked.

"Yes." Akashi nodded.

Momoi smiled serenely, as though she was already expecting this answer. "I've made a reservation at the hotel two streets away, the one you've taken a liking to recently. Will you be going by car?"

A faint hint of a smile was seen on Akashi's face, and that was enough of an answer for Momoi.

"The car is ready." She informed him.

* * *

Akashi lowered the cup of tea, placing it back on its saucer.

As expected of Momoi, she had reserved a private room for him, and she even made sure to request a room where he could get a clear view of the streets. Momoi never once questioned his 'hobby' of 'people-watching', and only silently accommodated him.

Akashi Seijuurou holds a secret that no one knows, for he has never told anyone.

He has the ability to see into a person's future.

However, describing it in such a pleasant way didn't quite truly explain his ability. While it is true that he was ultimately seeing a person's future, that was only one part of it. What he sees is the way a person will die, and the timing of their death.

When he was a child, every time he so much as glanced out a window, he would often have images flooding into his mind, and they were always scenes of people dying. It scared him terribly, and he would always run to his kindly mother for comfort.

And such soothing comfort she gave to the young Akashi, whose face was often covered in snort and tears as he came running to her. In her arms, surrounded by the soft floral scent of her shampoo, Akashi felt safe and secure, felt that he could even face the scariest of demons.

But when his mother passed away, he had no one else to turn to, and his strict father would not allow him to display any weaknesses. He spent many nights curled up in his blankets, too fearful to sleep. He could only fall asleep when his body was too tired to go on after days of inadequate rest, but using such a method wasn't healthy, and Akashi knew that.

And so, at the age of ten, he began training. He trained himself to block out the images, to be able to look a person in the eyes and hold a conversation without being overwhelmed by the scenes of their death.

It took him some time, but eventually he succeeded.

But his success came with a cost; his left eye lost its vibrant red colour, and was replaced by a golden yellow. Even so, it was only a small price to pay. He became able to control his ability, choosing whose 'future' he wanted to see, and how far he wanted to see.

Now as he gazed out at the streets below, he was searching for someone interesting enough to look into.

At the pedestrian crossing on the left, a man in his late thirties wearing an expensive tailored suit was irritably checking his watch as he waited for the light to turn green. Akashi focused on him, and activated his ability. A ring of light appeared within his left eye, encircling the pupil.

A flood of images appeared to him, of a speeding red car swerving off the road and hitting the unfortunate man before crashing into the car before it. The images were then replaced by a single line of numbers, which showed the exact time of death to Akashi.

Akashi blinked, deactivating his ability. All of this was shown to him in mere seconds, and Akashi only expressionlessly looked on now, awaiting the impending death of the man. Not too long after, the thick walls and glass of the private dining room muted out the sounds of the car crash and screams. Picking up his teacup, Akashi sipped at his tea as he scanned the rapidly forming crowd below.

Movement at the corner of his eye drew his attention, and he immediately placed the cup down. He narrowed his eyes, searching for that sudden irregularity that caught his interest. But even after looking at each person carefully twice over, he was unable to find it.

And this has never happened to him before, no one has ever escaped from his eyes.

Highly curious, Akashi stood up from the table and headed over to the window. Where was it? Where did it go? There was something that clearly stood out to him earlier, but when he tried to focus on it, its presence completely disappeared.

Akashi blinked his eyes, and a smirk slowly stretched across his lips.

How intriguing.

To be able to completely disappear in front of me, I wonder what kind of person they are. Did they notice that I was watching? Akashi silently mused to himself.

His phone rang at that moment, breaking him out of his thoughts. Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the name displayed across the screen before answering it.

"What is it, Momoi?" Akashi asked.

"Akashi-kun, you have a visitor at the office."

"A visitor? I do not believe that I have scheduled any meetings with anyone until this evening." Akashi frowned slightly.

"Yes, that is indeed so. However, Akashi Masaomi-san has turned up at the office for an unexpected visit." Momoi's clear voice carried an apologetic tone as she spoke her sentence.

Akashi held in a sigh. He knew what his father has come to visit him for, and he did not blame Momoi for being unable to stop his father.

"I'll head back now." Akashi informed Momoi, carefully softening his voice a little, conveying to her that she had no need to apologise nor feel guilty.

Momoi, as sharp as she was, immediately picked up on the subtle change of Akashi's voice.

"Yes, I understand." She replied with a happier tone than before.

Akashi disconnected the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. With one last check at the crowd below, he turned away from the window and left the private dining room.

* * *

Akashi sat before a man who appeared to be in his forties. This man had on a stern, unreadable expression on his face and was wearing a well-tailored black suit, paired with custom-made leather shoes. This man was none other than Akashi Seijuurou's father; Akashi Masaomi.

The one who spoke first was Masaomi.

"Seijuurou."

"Yes, father?"

"I'm sure that you understand the reason why I've come here today."

"Yes, I do, father."

"Seijuurou, you are already twenty-four years old, delaying this any longer will not be beneficial to both you and the future of the company."

Akashi Masaomi's eyes glanced towards the closed door of the office, before settling his gaze back on Akashi Seijuurou.

"That secretary of yours, Momoi Satsuki, was it?" Masaomi asked.

Akashi nodded, "Yes."

"She is certainly capable, and has a good personality as well as attitude. The Akashi family has no need for a woman that is only docile, therefore, Momoi Satsuki is a good choice."

Akashi stared at his father, not harsh enough to be considered a challenge, but enough that his father could see that he was serious.

"Father, do you not remember the agreement we made when I became independent and inherited this company?"

Masaomi's lips twitched and the slightest of a frown appeared on his face. That tiny change of expression would have been enough to frighten any other person, but Akashi Seijuurou was not any ordinary person. He did not even react to seeing the change of his father's expression.

Masaomi opened his mouth to speak, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure, "Our agreement was that once you are independent and have made a mark in this company, you will be allowed to choose your own partner."

He continued, "Indeed, you have made good progress on improving the company's structure as well as reputation. I do not intend to break our agreement, but I believe that there is nothing to stop me from advising you to do what is beneficial."

Akashi maintained a steady gaze on his father as he replied, "Yes, that is correct, father. I will take note of your advice, however, I would like for you to not interfere with my choosing of my partner."

Akashi Masaomi hummed lowly, but said nothing else. He slowly stood up from his seat, keeping his head still as only his eyes shifted, staring down at his son.

"Well then, I do hope that you will be sensible and make the right choice as someone who carries the Akashi name."

With those final words, Masaomi left the room without a single glance behind.

Akashi stared after his father, not moving an inch. Once the office door had quietly clicked shut, he finally stood up and made his way over to the windows. Barely a minute later, Momoi daringly entered the office without even knocking.

"Akashi-kun, I've made some tea." Momoi informed.

Akashi turned his head slightly, enough that he could see Momoi out of the corner of his eyes. "Leave it on the desk, I'll have it later."

But Momoi did not move even after hearing those dismissive words.

"Akashi-kun, teas are best when they are hot. Won't you have some right now?"

Akashi's eyes narrowed, but then he let out the softest of a chuckle. He turned around fully, staring at his fearless secretary who was watching him with determined eyes. Akashi briefly wondered just how far Momoi would go to get him to drink the tea, had he continued to refuse.

Though he was mildly curious, he did not attempt to provoke Momoi and walked over to his desk where a cup of hot tea was waiting. He picked it up, and a sweet scent of honey drifted over to him.

"Honey, hm?" Akashi commented.

Momoi only smiled back in reply.

Akashi took a sip, the hot tea hydrating his throat and pleasantly warming his stomach. A couple more sips later, Akashi's mood eased up and the tension that coiled around him disappeared.

Lowering the cup, Akashi gave Momoi a smile. "Thank you, Momoi."

Momoi smiled once more and bowed, "You're welcome, Akashi-kun." Satisfied that Akashi's mood had improved, she excused herself and left Akashi's office.

* * *

In the dead of the night, where there were barely any cars left on the road, a silhouette of a young man appeared on the roof of a hotel's building. The man didn't seem to be very tall, and he carefully kept himself away from the lights, so much so that it was nearly impossible to distinguish him from the darkness.

The man turned his head, gazing in the direction where a tragic accident had occurred during the day, claiming a life as a result. The man's face showed no expression even as he recalled what he had seen earlier that day; an unfortunate businessman had received a direct hit by a car, causing instant death. He had even broken so many bones from the impact that his body was completely twisted out of shape.

The young man had surveyed the reactions of the crowd that had gathered in the aftermath of the accident, and many looked as though they were about to throw up, both men and women alike. It was a truly understandable reaction, though he himself did not display the same reaction. People die every day, and this man has seen too many deaths to be so easily affected.

However, as he was observing the crowd, one gaze in particular stood out to him. It was not one of concealed horror, but of a constant steady gaze. Faced with such a scene, to be able to maintain such composure was surely out of the ordinary. The man had quickly sought out where it was coming from, and then the appearance of someone he recognised well met his searching eyes.

Akashi Seijuurou.

The man did not know Akashi Seijuurou personally, all the knowledge he had was through the news and rumours. Even so, to think that Akashi Seijuurou would not even flinch after seeing a mangled body, was unexpected. While Akashi Seijuurou was a fearsome businessman, he was still human. It would have been much more normal if he had showed some emotion.

But he did not.

Instead, his reaction was too eerily similar to the man's own. It made the man both curious and wary at the same time. So he did a little test, shifting around enough that it would catch Akashi's attention. And when it did, the man vanished; hiding himself away from that pair of heterochromatic eyes.

He could clearly see the interest within those eyes as they searched for him, but remained unsuccessful. It's a pity that Akashi received a call at that moment and had to leave, but the man had made his decision by then.

He would make contact with Akashi Seijuurou.

The man blinked, focusing back on the night scenery of the city. He raised his head to the sky, and judged the time by the moon's position. There was several more hours until dawn; he should get some rest.

There was no rush to meet with Akashi Seijuurou, not for him at least. He would have to check the news much more often now, and carefully plan the most appropriate timing. He didn't have any intention of interrupting Akashi's work, but a little inconvenience couldn't be helped.

The man turned around and completely blended into the darkness, disappearing without a sound.

* * *

X

* * *

It's been three weeks since Akashi experienced that strange presence, and five days since he last visited the hotel.

One thing that Akashi noticed these past few weeks was that there was something strange about his left eye. Sometimes, a sharp pain would suddenly flare up and caused a throbbing headache. It didn't last for more than a couple of seconds, but it was enough to put Akashi on guard. A side effect such as this has never happened to him before.

It only started after he detected that mysterious presence.

It was without a doubt that whoever it was, was the cause of Akashi's building annoyance. Not only that, but that presence had completely vanished for a while now, and Akashi had no way of tracking the person down. Visiting the hotel during his free time was both in an attempt to find and let himself be found by the other party.

If you can't catch a prey, dangle a bait and let the prey come on its own; that is Akashi's policy.

Unfortunately, it didn't work this time.

And as Akashi Seijuurou did not do well with failures, he stopped going to the hotel.

* * *

X

* * *

Almost two months later, it finally happened again.

Akashi had sought out another place where he could eat quietly; though the restaurant is quite a distance away from his office. There was no flashy accident this time, but just a tragic death. Akashi had not planned on using his ability much that day, he only did a cursory glance out the window when a line of numbers jumped out at him.

A line of numbers that contained only mere seconds left.

Immediately, his attention was drawn to the sidewalk on his right. A young girl, roughly six years of age, was happily skipping alongside her mother, an ice cream in hand. The girl's face was beaming with happiness as she ate, and in the next moment, the ice cream had fallen out of her hand as she clutched at her chest, face painted with pain and fear.

It was fortunate for the girl, for her agony did not last long; less than five seconds. Her line of numbers counted down to zero, and the girl's body fell lifelessly to the floor. Her mother panicked, screaming for her daughter to respond, and passerbys rushed to help.

But such an action was futile.

Because to Akashi's eyes, the little girl's line of numbers had already faded away. Anyone who had their line of numbers disappear meant that death is certain. If a person could be saved, their line of numbers would remain and continue to tick away.

It was truly tragic, for the life of such a young child to be taken away.

Just as Akashi had formed the thought in his mind, a flash of something at the corner of his eyes alerted him in an instant.

There was no way he could forget it.

That presence.

His head whipped to the side, eyes widening a little as he searched, and then, _something_ met his gaze. It lasted for a mere second, but without his control, Akashi's body was forcefully pushed back into the chair by a strange, incomprehensible pressure. Their eye contact was broken, and by the time Akashi had regained his senses and overcame the shock, that presence had vanished once more.

What was that?

Akashi stood up, moving towards the window even though he knew that he would no longer be able to find the owner of that mysterious presence. His mind was whirling, trying to somehow make sense of what had just happened. Never before had he felt such a phenomenon.

He couldn't even _see_ what it was that made eye contact with him, his vision was completely blocked during that single second of contact. There were no visions, no line of numbers, just _black._ Or rather, just pure darkness.

Akashi frowned, eyes narrowing.

It was frustrating that he lost the opportunity to find out what that presence was, however, the one thing that bothered him most, was the feeling of fear that had taken over him in that moment.

Whoever it may be, the owner behind that presence was strong.

Akashi has met many types of people ever since he was young, but this was very different from what he was used to. There were people who are strong physically, and those people emit a certain aura that told Akashi that they were confident in their physical strength. And then there were those who were strong mentally, they too, emit a certain aura. Learning how to read and understand the natural auras that a person exude, and how to handle ( _manipulate_ ) them, was what made Akashi a terrifying businessman.

But this, the presence that he felt, left Akashi speechless. He couldn't even categorize it; it was neither physical strength nor mental strength.

All Akashi could feel was that it was _strong._

* * *

"Akashi-kun?"

Akashi glanced up, his pen pausing over the document he was about to sign. A slightly nervous looking Momoi came into his view.

"What is it?" He asked.

Momoi hesitated a little, before obviously gathering up her courage with a deep breath.

"Akashi-kun," She said, "That document before you needs no signature."

Akashi simply stared at Momoi, providing no reaction at all.

"It's a wedding invitation, Akashi-kun." Momoi stated.

With a blink, Akashi lowered his head. Indeed, the piece of paper before him was an invitation from one of his major business partner to his wedding.

It was not like him to make such a mistake.

"Akashi-kun, are you alright?" Momoi dared to ask.

Akashi placed his pen down, leaning back into his chair with a barely audible sigh. This action left Momoi quite surprised, since Akashi did not like showing his weakened state in front of anyone. But Akashi didn't seem concerned about that right now.

"Momoi."

"Yes, Akashi-kun?"

Akashi raised his head a little and stared straight into Momoi's eyes.

"If I recall correctly, you have an amazing ability to search through thousands of anonymous people just to find one person, don't you?" Akashi questioned rhetorically.

Momoi answered Akashi with a single nod, her eyes widening with curiosity. Did Akashi perhaps want to locate someone?

"Is it possible for you to find a person through their presence alone?"

Momoi blinked.

"Through their presence?" She repeated.

"Yes, presence. With no information on how they look like at all, nor their name, can you still locate a person with 'presence' as a single hint?"

Momoi's lips parted, as though she was about to say something, but no words came from her. She only stared at Akashi blankly.

Akashi chuckled a little as he saw Momoi's flabbergasted expression.

"Is it too much to ask?" He inquired.

With a couple blinks, Momoi gathered herself and replied, "I am unsure if I will be able to successfully search for the person, since I've never attempted such a method before."

Akashi hummed thoughtfully for a moment.

After which, he asked, "Will you be willing to try?"

Momoi tilted her head to the side, considering it. And then she nodded with a smile.

"So, who's the person you are looking for, Akashi-kun?"

Akashi fell silent for a while, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

He slowly started to speak, "I do not know why this is so, but the person I am looking for is very different from an average human being. The reason I say so is because I have never met any human who has ever given me such a feeling before. The person that I am looking for has a very, very mysterious presence."

"A mysterious presence?"

"Yes. Their presence was too strange, too heavy yet non-existent at the same time. When I first came across that person, it was that irregularity that drew my attention. But when I tried to focus on it, the presence disappeared. And also, the last contact I had with it left quite a bad aftertaste."

Recalling what had happened, Akashi frowned deeply, creating deep furrows between his brows.

"What happened?" Momoi asked.

"I couldn't even maintain a second's worth of contact with it. Something had blocked me, pushed me away from seeing." He readily explained.

Momoi's hand flew to her mouth, to muffle a gasp of surprise that slipped out.

Akashi didn't appear to mind it.

Momoi lowered her gaze to the floor, staring fixedly at one spot. Akashi noticed, and momentarily entertained himself with the thought that Momoi looked as though she could burn a hole through the floor with how fiercely she was staring at it.

Momoi lifted her head after some time, and said, "So that means that you want me to find someone, _something,_ that may not even be a human being?"

Akashi's lips lifted into a small smirk. "Yes."

"Then… Do you perhaps know the gender of the person?"

Akashi shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not."

Momoi frowned, biting her lower lip unconsciously.

Akashi stared at her in silence, and then raised a question.

"Momoi."

"Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"Do you fear divine retribution?"

Momoi startled, blinking at Akashi. "Pardon?"

Akashi shifted forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "You looked very hesitant, much more than before. And your hesitance stemmed from hearing that the person I am looking for is perhaps not a human being."

Momoi shifted on her feet.

"Well… Getting involved with spiritual things can be quite dangerous." Momoi simply answered.

Akashi nodded, "I do agree with you. Therefore, I won't force you. But you will certainly be of great help, even if you are unable to find this person, because I would be able to hear your opinion and experiences as you search. That will allow me to learn more about whatever it is."

Momoi said nothing as she observed Akashi. She knew what Akashi was doing, knew that he had especially worded it as such in an attempt to manipulate her into doing what he wants. And she also knew that Akashi knew that she was aware of what he was doing.

Because Momoi wasn't easily manipulated, and Akashi had learnt that from very early on. He did not hide his intentions as he would have had he been dealing with his business partners instead. Which actually meant that Akashi trusted her to quite an extent.

With a sigh, Momoi gave in.

"Alright. I will try."

And Akashi smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

A young man was casually leaning against a wall; to his right was an alleyway, and to his left was an Italian restaurant that had already closed for the day. The particular stretch of sidewalk the man was standing at was shrouded in the darkness of the night, even with the light of a distant street lamp, it wasn't much help at all.

The young man watched as a pink-haired lady sighed in disappointment and smoothly climbed into her car. He recognised who she was: Momoi Satsuki, Akashi's secretary. Akashi must have given her some kind of order, and he could easily guess what it was from her actions. These past few days, she had been driving around and stopping at random spots, staying still in one position as she carefully looked around.

Momoi Satsuki was searching for someone. And that very someone was this young man who had been hiding from her. He actually admired her persistence, for even when it was long past midnight, she was still searching for him. As her car pulled away, only when he was sure that it was quite a distance away did he move.

He shifted his weight and took several steps towards the street lamp. The faint light was unable to fully place the man into view, but it was enough to light up the man's special characteristics. A head of light blue hair could be seen, as well as a pair of piercingly clear light blue eyes. The man stopped, tilting his head at the disappearing car in the distance.

A little smile curled at his lips as the car abruptly slowed down, and then the screeching of brakes pierced through the silent night. The car reversed at full speed, with the blue-haired young man's eyes tracking every minute movement of it. When the car was near enough, the man turned around and slipped back into the darkness.

"Wait!"

A high, feminine voice shouted towards him. It was quickly followed by the slamming of car doors. The young man did not heed the voice, though he heard it very clearly. He was ever so relaxed as he strolled away, completely unhurried.

"Please wait! I have something I would like to ask you!" The voice came again, further away this time.

It was strange, unnaturally strange. For even though the young man was only walking leisurely, the desperate footsteps of the lady chasing him grew softer and softer. It was as though there was a strange force – perhaps it could even be called as sorcery – that was rapidly separating them.

The slight smile on the man's face did not move an inch, as though already expecting this outcome.

Momoi Satsuki, however, was wide-eyed with surprise. Without her consent, her feet came to a stop as her lips parted unconsciously. The man paused, turning his face back slightly. Momoi could barely make out half of the man's face. The man tilted his head, and then a light blue eye met her gaze for just half of a second.

The moment it did, a terrible cold pressed down on Momoi; shivers ran down her spine and goosebumps rose along her skin. She abruptly choked, feeling as though her breath was robbed from her.

The next instant, the man had already turned away and Momoi could breathe again. The man started walking once more. Momoi blinked once, and then the already barely discernible back of the young man completely vanished before her eyes.

"What…?" That single word softly spilled from her parted lips, unbidden.

It took her several more seconds before she regained her bearings, and murmured to herself, "What in the world was that?"

Almost zombie-like, she quietly returned to her car, somehow managing to both safely park her car in her apartment's carpark and enter her home. All the while, her mind was occupied with what she had just witnessed.

Even as she finally laid in bed to sleep, her last thought was of the mysterious man that she couldn't catch up to no matter how she tried.

* * *

"What?" Akashi's head snapped up, his grip on the pen becoming slack as he stared at Momoi in surprise. Momoi stood in front of his desk, her expression grim.

Akashi asked, "You found that person?"

Momoi made to nod her head, but she stopped herself in time. Her brows furrowed slightly as she shook her head instead. "Rather than saying that I found him, it was more like he actually came to me."

"Him?" Akashi murmured under his breath. "So it's a man, then."

Momoi heard him, and this time she nodded.

"And what do you mean by 'he came to you'?" Akashi questioned.

Momoi shifted slightly, and said, "During the past few days that I've been searching, there was absolutely no sign of him. However, I kept feeling as though someone was watching me, but no matter which methods I used, it was all fruitless. But then, during one of the nights where I was out searching, he suddenly appeared to me."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a coincidence?"

Momoi quickly shook her head. "No, I'm sure it wasn't just a mere coincidence, the timing was too precise. It must have been carefully planned by the man. When I was driving away, someone suddenly materialised under a street lamp. It was as though the man was waiting for that exact moment."

"So he's been watching you as you searched for him." Akashi commented. "Then, I'm assuming that you had chased after him?"

"Yes, of course."

"Did you managed to see his appearance?"

Momoi bit her lip and then said, "Not everything. The man was too carefully hidden in the darkness."

"That's alright. What did you see?"

"From what I managed to catch a glimpse of, the man did not appear to be very tall nor does he have a large build." She tilted her head at Akashi, her keen eyes taking in his appearance. "Actually, Akashi-kun, I would say that the man has quite a similar build as you do."

"Oh?"

"If it weren't for his rather distinctive features, I would say that even I may end up confusing the both of you for each other."

Akashi's eyebrow rose. "Distinctive features? Such as?"

Momoi's eyes narrowed as she tried to recall the man's appearance. And then she simply said a single word, "Blue."

"Blue?" Akashi repeated.

"Yes. Blue hair and blue eyes." She suddenly shivered as though she remembered something bad.

Akashi immediately noticed her strange reaction and asked, "What's wrong?"

Momoi shook her head firmly, as though to dispel the image in her mind. "I just remembered. The man had blue eyes, but they weren't… normal."

Akashi finally placed his pen down, and gestured for Momoi to continue.

"Those eyes… They were such a piercing blue that it was actually quite frightening. It felt like I would completely lose myself had I been allowed to look into them for just a couple more seconds."

Akashi hummed thoughtfully after hearing Momoi's words. Then he blinked and looked straight into her eyes. "So you are saying that it felt like you would have lost control of yourself?"

"No, not in the sense of losing control over my body or anything of that sort. But rather, it was like I would be erased."

"Erased?" Akashi echoed, his voice betraying his surprise.

Momoi nodded.

Akashi lowered his head, his brows knitting together as he sunk into deep thought. Momoi silently studied him, not even moving an inch so that she wouldn't distract him.

The soft ticking of a clock was the only sound that filled the room.

Akashi had remained motionless for quite a while now, even his expression did not change. It was to the point where Momoi actually became mildly worried. After some consideration, she decided to speak up.

"Akashi-kun?" She called, keeping her voice low.

Akashi glanced up, his eyes bearing a faraway look. He stared at her for a few seconds, then blinked his eyes as he quickly regained himself.

"Oh, my apologies. Thank you for your effort regarding this, Momoi."

With those words, Momoi felt as though a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Though Akashi had not directly told her so, but those words of his was enough to inform her that she need not continue to search and investigate that mysterious man anymore.

With a small smile, she gave Akashi a bow and quietly left his office.

* * *

x

* * *

Now that Akashi seemed to be aware of him, the blue-haired young man couldn't quite contain a smile. From the day that he deliberately showed himself to Momoi Satsuki, he had been looking forward to having her pass on whatever information she gained on him to Akashi, and also, to see what Akashi Seijuurou's next move was.

It's been a month so far, but there was no action from Akashi.

The man didn't mind; after all, time never mattered to him. However, impatience was bubbling up within him as he waited. For someone like Akashi, who makes use of every minute carefully, to be stagnant like this was rather unusual. Was he stuck, perhaps? He didn't know how to plan his next move?

The blue-haired young man's lips turned down into the smallest of frowns.

If that was truly the case, then it meant that Akashi Seijuurou was quite a disappointing man.

"Should I continue to wait or should I make contact?" The young man's voice softly broke the silence on the rooftop. His voice held no emotion at all, and his equally cold eyes stared up into the bright sky, watching the clouds float past.

"Perhaps, it's still too early." He murmured after a long period of silence.

Yes, it's too early.

Akashi is a shrewd man after all, if the blue-haired young man allowed himself to be swayed by his own impatience, perhaps he might up falling into whatever traps Akashi was planning for him. Though Akashi would never be able to harm him, it wasn't a pleasant feeling to be on the receiving end of a trap.

And so, he will wait.

* * *

x

* * *

Akashi tapped out an inconsistent rhythm with his pen onto his desk. He had finished his work for the day, and it was one of the rare days where he did not have any events to attend in the evening. Right now, his mind was occupied with thoughts about the mysterious man.

Judging from what Momoi had said, that man had been watching her for quite a while before making his move. Therefore, there was a chance that Akashi was being watched as well, and that man was just waiting for the right timing.

However, Akashi did not know what the man was waiting for.

Was he waiting for Akashi to be near another accident? Or was he simply waiting for Akashi to be alone? If it was the latter, then Akashi was constantly alone in his office, working. But nothing had happened so far, so waiting to get Akashi alone didn't seem to be the aim of the man.

Did that mean it was the former?

But somehow, that still didn't seem to be what the man was after. Akashi couldn't quite figure it out, but he knew that the man did not want him to simply be near an area where an accident would occur.

Akashi released the pen from his fingers, letting it roll along the desk noisily.

With a barely discernible sigh, he leaned back into the chair's leather backrest, titling his head up. His gaze slowly tracked across the ceiling, but he wasn't paying much attention to it.

What was it?

Just what was it that such a strange being could be after?

Akashi was quite convinced that the man wasn't actually human, though he didn't know for sure what the man was. Akashi has never met a spirit before, only heard of them in horror stories back when he was still a middle school student. Still, the man didn't appear to be a vengeful ghost or anything of the sort.

But why was he drawn to Akashi of all people?

They first encountered when Akashi witnessed an accident, and their second encounter was almost the same as the first. This clearly meant that the accidents have something to do with the man showing himself to Akashi.

But if Akashi followed the past events and places himself where an accident was bound to happen, would the end result still be the same? Would Akashi never be able to catch a hold of that man?

…No.

Akashi's eyes narrowed. No, he would not allow such a thing to happen. And he absolutely refuses to accept such an outcome.

There must be something that he could do, something to get the mysterious being in a position where he could not simply turn and leave.

Perhaps he could turn an accident into his favour.

Just being near is not enough, something else is needed, _something much more._

Akashi's eyes widened as a thought flashed through his head. He immediately sat up straight, his contemplative expression melting away, replaced by the face of a cunning businessman.

Akashi's lips spread into a smirk, his eyes alight with determination.

"Alright. Come, it's time to play. Let us see who will win this game."


	3. Chapter 3

Akashi stood by an overhead bridge, watching the cars speed past.

There weren't much people out seeing as how the lunch hour has ended, but this situation was ideal for Akashi. If it was too crowded, it would be difficult to locate the man if he hides within the crowd. What Akashi was planning to attempt was extremely risky, but this was the only method that he was sure would force the mysterious man to come to him.

Even so, he remained motionless as he observed the speed the cars were travelling at. Tilting his head slightly, Akashi was quickly making amends to his plans. There were no traffic lights around here, so the cars were all moving at quite a fast speed. To commence his plan with just his bare body was the same as asking for death. Though he was unsure if he would die, there was still a really high chance of him breaking too many bones in his body.

That would surely be nothing but unnecessary pain and trouble for himself.

With a hum, Akashi turned and left.

He made his way further down the road, where his car was parked in front of an udon restaurant. He unlocked his car and climbed into the driver's seat. Then, he activated his ability. A ring of light appeared in his left eye, and the colour of his iris changed, taking on a much more golden hue than before.

Lines of numbers jumped out at him, but things were a little different this time. Only those on the road – within their cars – had their line of numbers framed by a golden yellow light. The ones on the sidewalk were not affected.

Akashi smirked, though he didn't find much humour in the vision before him. All those numbers that were framed by the colour were quite unfortunate indeed. They were all going to be involved in Akashi's plan, therefore, their time of deaths were all affected by Akashi's every move.

A wrong plan of action from Akashi could cause them all to lose their lives, even though they still had many more years to live. Akashi wasn't completely emotionless to this fact. After all, their fates are all in his hands. So although he was not crushed under the feeling of guilt and pressure, Akashi did feel apologetic to some extent.

Which was why he was very careful in picking which car would meet its unfortunate end.

If Akashi himself was involved in an accident, surely that frustratingly mysterious man could not ignore this. To spare himself from death as a result of his actions, he had to find ways to protect his own life. By using a car to crash into another, with the speed controlled, Akashi could also minimise the impact he would receive. The car he was in would protect him from the worst of it.

He chose a car not too far away from him, where the driver's line of numbers was considerably low. Since the driver was already destined to live only a few short months more, choosing this car was quite a good move, was what Akashi thought.

Leaning back into the seat, Akashi shifted and then pulled the car into the road.

He drove leisurely at first, waiting for a clear space in the traffic as he paced himself a few metres behind the targeted car. The opportunity came sooner than he thought, but with no hesitation, he stepped onto the pedal. The car shot forward, not too fast, but fast enough that there would surely be a strong collision.

The screeching of tires pierced through the air, sparks flew as metal scrapped against metal, and then there were screams. Airbags burst out from the car, cushioning Akashi's fall forward into the steering wheel. The windshield shattered, falling onto his bent over body. Without warning, the car's engine suddenly exploded, and searing hot flames rapidly started burning away at the front of Akashi's car.

That was not within his plans, why did his car engine suddenly explode from such a minor impact?

Akashi slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the dizziness in his head. Once his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was the line of numbers of the driver in the car before him. The numbers had lowered even more, but it was not zero. Looks like the driver will survive this accident.

After checking on the driver, he finally processed the high-pitched screams. He turned his head to the side, saw that a crowd had gathered, with some people pointing at the two cars that had collided. There were also those on the phone, appearing quite frantic as they called for help.

With a blink of his eyes, Akashi smoothly moved to exit his car.

While he did managed to remove his seatbelt and get the door open, he wasn't able to lift himself out of the seat. It was only then that he realised that he couldn't move his legs. He glanced down at his immobile legs, wondering if he had somehow injured them without his knowing.

But there was no pain.

How strange.

The fire was travelling along the car like hungry beasts, and as the relentless flames continued to burn away, it brought with it a sweltering heat that caused beads of perspiration to form on Akashi's forehead.

There was not much time.

If he didn't get out soon, it's likely that he would end up burning along with the car. Akashi brought his hands down and attempted to manually lift one of his leg. The moment he tried however, searing pain shot up from his leg and sent him doubling over himself.

His breathing came in harsh gasps, perspiration rolling down his face. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly attempted to calm his breathing and organize his thoughts.

This was quite unexpected. While Akashi was aware that he would get hurt, he didn't expect it to be this intense, especially since he was being careful. Opening his eyes and raising his head a little, he looked out of the broken windows and observed his surroundings.

Help has not yet arrived, and he highly doubt that there would be people who would willingly enter a burning car just to check on him. Perhaps if there had been no fire, plenty of people would rush to help him, but that was not the case now. Because fire is too dangerous, too easy for a person to get hurt. No one would willingly dive into a burning car and risk getting burnt to death.

He can only rely on himself now.

Akashi made to blink, but realised that he actually had his eyes closed. When had he closed them? Wasn't he just looking out at the roads a moment ago? With a struggle, he opened up his eyes again.

"Hello."

A soft voice suddenly came from the direction of the opened car door. Akashi turned his head to the side, and was met with _blue._

Instinctively moving back, pain laced up his legs and he gritted his teeth. A short moment passed as he bore through the pain. Once he managed to push past the blinding pain, he focused his gaze back onto the person before him, and immediately recalled Momoi's words.

 _Blue hair and blue eyes._

Akashi opened his mouth, voice coming out oddly strained. "You are…"

The blue-haired man smiled.

"Hello there, Akashi Seijuurou."

"You are _him_ , aren't you?" Akashi asked, and though he didn't elaborate much, it was understood what he was trying to get across.

"Yes," came the answer Akashi was waiting for. With his soft and emotionless voice, the blue-haired man continued to speak, "I am the man that has been playing a little game with you for the past few months."

Akashi stared at the man's appearance; other than the eye-catching head of light blue hair, those eyes that were looking at him were extremely unsettling. It was as though they could see through anything and everything.

Rather than avoiding eye contact with this man, Akashi blinked his eyes instead as a way of breaking their maintained contact. This way, it didn't appear as though Akashi was running away or showing submission to the person before him.

Using this chance, Akashi asked the question that has been on his mind for the past few months.

"What are you?"

The blue-haired man's perpetual smile never wavered. When he finally spoke again, it was not an answer to Akashi's question.

"You truly are entertaining, Akashi Seijuurou."

Akashi's eyes immediately narrowed with displeasure. But the man took no notice and said, "Just as I was considering what to do, you actually came up with such an interesting idea. To willingly place yourself into an accident, all for the purpose of drawing me out, is not something anyone could do."

"Answer my question." Akashi ordered, his voice regaining its firm tone.

The blue-haired man cocked his head, the smile on his face becoming almost eerie.

"Akashi Seijuurou, do you value your life?"

"What?" Akashi frowned.

"Have you forgotten where you are? Stuck in a burning car with broken legs, and the thing most important to you now is my identity?"

Akashi blinked, his mind momentarily coming to a halt. Yes, that was right. Right now, the most important thing is to get himself to safety. The sudden presence of the blue-haired man clouded his thoughts and the urgency of the current situation.

Akashi stared down at his legs, then at the opened door where the man was. The flames that were greedily licking away at the car actually appeared to recoil away from the man in front of him, as though they were too afraid to draw any closer. There even seemed to be a strange force around the man, cooling down the heat and clearing the stifling air in the car.

With the softest of chuckles, the man spoke.

"Would you like help, Akashi Seijuurou?"

Akashi sneered, and then said, "Help from you?"

The man wasn't offended by Akashi's attitude, those piercingly bright light blue eyes of his flicked from Akashi to somewhere above Akashi's head, then back to him.

"You can make your choice. If you decline my help and wait for others to come, you will not survive this self-orchestrated accident of yours. Are you aware that your line of numbers is steadily decreasing as we speak?"

Akashi's eyes widened.

"You… You can see it too?"

The man did not reply. He held out his hand, palm facing up. "If you accept my help, I will temporarily share some of my _time_ with you so that you will make it through this. So tell me, what is your decision?"

Akashi glanced around his car, then at his legs, and finally settled on the man's light blue eyes. He lifted his hand, and with a distrustful frown, placed his hand into the man's waiting palm.

The moment he did, a bright light flashed and it had him quickly shutting his eyes against the light. With his eyes closed tight, a sudden sensation of falling rapidly swept him away. And the next thing he knew, he was overwhelmed by a force so strong that his body couldn't bare it, causing him to instantly lose consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

" – so he was lucky that his injuries weren't severe."

"Hah? Are you blind, doctor? Do you not see his broken legs?!"

"Momoi-san, please calm down. Though his legs are broken, they are broken very cleanly, not fractured in many different places. Therefore, his legs will heal up quickly. Also, for someone who was trapped within a burning car, the fact that he received no other injury except for his legs shows just how fortunate he is."

"That's… That's true. Somehow, he miraculously doesn't have any burns..."

"Yes, indeed. Now then, please excuse me. I still have other patients to see too. Please call for the nurses once the patient awakes."

"Alright."

The sound of a door sliding shut filled the now quiet room, and it was soon followed by the steady clicks of high heels that came to a stop beside him. Then came a soft sigh.

Akashi slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the bright lights.

"Akashi-kun!"

He blinked multiple times, trying to adjust his eyes to the light. Turning his head to where the voice came from, the first thing he saw was a wide-eyed Momoi.

"Momoi." He called, his voice hoarse and rough.

Momoi immediately reached over to the table by the bedside, grabbing the pitcher to pour a glass of water for Akashi. She searched for the little remote to raise the bed, moving Akashi into a lounging position. Akashi gratefully accepted the water, carefully drinking it down. After handing the glass back to Momoi, he took a look around the room.

"A hospital?" He murmured.

Momoi was quick to respond. "Yes. It's a VIP private room, so there won't be anyone barging in. Even the nurses and doctors are all carefully picked and won't change for the duration of your hospital stay. This way, we can monitor everyone who has come into contact with you."

Momoi watched Akashi's reaction to her words, or rather, a lack of it. Deciding it was best to get all his worries out of the way, she continued to report the situation to him.

"Also, Akashi-kun, I've suppressed all the media and the reporters regarding this accident. No one knows that you were involved, and that also includes your father."

Akashi's eyes snapped back to Momoi, and he stared at her for a short moment. Then, a smile surface on his face. "As expected of you. It would have been troublesome if he had known. Thank you, Momoi."

Momoi returned his smile and bowed her head. But when she lifted her head again, her expression had become serious. "Akashi-kun, your legs…"

"Ah, they're broken, aren't they?"

Momoi nodded her head.

"I overheard the doctor's words earlier. So they were broken cleanly, he said?" Akashi hummed.

"Yes, once they have healed enough, you will have to undergo physiotherapy for the next few months." Momoi informed him.

Akashi turned away, his face becoming thoughtful. "That means I will be out of work for some time. It would draw too much attention if I were to turn up at the office using crutches."

Momoi silently nodded her head again.

"Well then. Push back all my appointments and whatever events that are scheduled. Release an announcement to my business partners that I have gone on an important business trip. But make sure not to reveal too many details, no matter who asks."

"Yes, as you wish, Akashi-kun."

Momoi glanced at Akashi, then asked, "Would you like for me to call the doctor? Since you've awakened, it would be best to get a check-up."

Akashi shook his head. "There's no need for that now. I'm alright."

"But…"

Taking a peek at Akashi's firm expression, Momoi realised that no matter how she tried to persuade him, he would not budge. So in the end, she only quietly accepted that fact and Akashi's stubbornness.

The hospital room became quiet once more.

Neither spoke for long moments, their silence broken only by the beeping of the machines. Every now and then, Momoi would turn her head to check on Akashi's condition; to see whether he needed anything, or if he appeared tired and would like a nap. But after falling silent, Akashi had gone very still, as though he had somehow turned into a statue, staring at a wall with his face completely blank, not a single hint of expression could be seen.

Momoi was both worried and confused, but she did not attempt to break the strange atmosphere around Akashi.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Akashi's head suddenly jerked up, startling Momoi terribly.

"Akashi-kun? What's wrong?"

Akashi did not answer her, and Momoi could only helplessly follow the direction he was looking at. Akashi's intense gaze was now fixed on the private room's door, and he was frowning. Momoi did not understand.

Perhaps, did he notice something there that she did not?

"Momoi." Akashi's voice softly called for her attention.

"Yes?"

"I want to leave the hospital."

Momoi's eyes widened, and she froze from the shock of the sudden statement. But she quickly snapped to her senses and franticly exclaimed, "You can't, Akashi-kun! You have just regained consciousness after an accident, it's too risky to move recklessly. And you're still heavily injured!"

Akashi glanced at her, his eyes showing slight surprise. Then he gave her a little smile. "Calm down, Momoi. I've not finished what I want to say. I meant to say that I want to leave the hospital, and recover in my apartment instead."

"Oh." Momoi blinked, quickly settling down. "I see. So that's what it was… Alright then. I will immediately arrange for that."

Staring at Akashi, Momoi suddenly gave a condition. "However, you must get a check-up first before leaving." As she spoke, the expression in her eyes was clearly conveyed to Akashi; firm and ready to challenge him should he disagree.

Akashi was amused, and with a soft chuckle, he obediently nodded his head.

Momoi smiled, satisfied. Then, she raised a question. "Akashi-kun? May I ask why do you not want to stay in the hospital?"

Upon hearing her question, Akashi's eyes narrowed at the door.

After a moment, he said, "You do not have to be concerned about that. I have my reasons for doing so. If the doctors ask, just tell them that I find being in a hospital room too stifling."

Momoi hesitated, glancing between Akashi and the door he was staring at. Biting her lip, she eventually decided that she didn't want to know the reasons for Akashi's decision to leave the hospital. Ignorance was bliss, after all. Especially when it came to dealing with Akashi.

"Yes, I understand." She simply answered.

* * *

Against the pale beige of the hospital walls, the light blue hair belonging to a young man popped out in bright relief. The man was leaning against the wall, his weight supported on one foot as he lightly crossed one ankle over the other. In his hands was a plain white cup with a black straw.

He was leisurely sipping on it as he eavesdropped on the conversation going on inside the room.

" _I want to leave the hospital."_

A blink of his eyes and the straw left his mouth without a single sound as he heard that sentence. Then, soon after, a little smirk appeared on his face. He chuckled softly, pulling himself away from the wall. He quietly turned and left, taking the stairs down to the first floor, making his way into the main area where it was filled with people – doctors, nurses and patients alike.

Passing by a trashcan, he tossed his empty cup into it while tilting his body to avoid bumping into a pregnant lady. As he neared the entrance, the automatic doors of the hospital slid open as a man with his arm in a sling entered. Casually walking past the injured man, the young man stepped out through the doors, leaving the hospital premises.

His every single action was soundless, even his footsteps. No one turned to look at him, not even lifting their heads when they were about to collide. They remained entirely oblivious to his presence.

Like a phantom, the blue-haired young man entered and left the hospital completely unnoticed by anyone.


	5. Chapter 5

Akashi stirred awake slowly, blinking his eyes multiple times to clear his vision. His room was dark, the curtains all drawn except for the ones near his bed. The full moon's light shone into the room, illuminating it dimly.

This was his apartment, located on the top floor of a newly built high-rise building. It came with heavy security, as well as an underground multi-storey car park. Akashi had found and bought this place with his own money, and hid its location from his father. The only one who knew about this place was Momoi.

Cold wind blew into the room, and the curtains fluttered.

Instantly on high alert, Akashi pushed himself up, and looked around the room.

And there, to his right, was a person.

Akashi could barely make out the figure casually leaning against the wall, it was too dark to clearly see anything. Except for the blue hair and eyes staring straight at him. The bright blue harshly contrasted with the darkness of the room, and it even seemed as though it was glowing.

Akashi's eyes narrowed. "So you came." He said.

The blue-eyed man gave Akashi a small smile. "Yes."

"You took longer than I thought. Did you managed to get yourself lost while following me around?" Akashi sneered.

There was the softest sound of a chuckle from the man, who appeared completely unoffended by Akashi's words. "I was simply being generous enough to give you some time to heal up. Unfortunately, it appears that I do not have a bad hobby of playing around with the injured or those in a weakened state. Therefore, I stayed away."

Akashi's sharp gaze observed the man, then he simply turned his head away without a word, breaking their eye contact.

A tense silence filled the air.

The one who chose to break it was the mysterious man.

"How are your legs?"

"Much better than before." Akashi replied. He couldn't be too rude to the person who had saved his life, no matter how much he may dislike them. The one thing that Akashi managed to confirm was that this man was not human, though he didn't know the true identity of the man.

"Yes, that is to be expected, I suppose. It's been a little more than two months since your forceful discharge from the hospital. I would be concerned if you were still in the same state as the first day of the accident." The man murmured thoughtfully.

Akashi did not reply to that, nor did he question how the man knew. Instead, he said, "I have something I want to know."

The man tilted his head in curiosity. "And you chose to ask me instead of finding out the answers to your questions by yourself? How rare. I wonder, has that accident made you lose your touch?"

"That's not it. I chose to ask because I know that the only one who can give me an answer is you."

The man's lips rose into a slight smile. "Is that so? Then, what is it that you want to know?"

"Back then, my car's engine exploded. It shouldn't have, not with that level of impact. You were the cause of it, weren't you? You made the engine explode."

The man stared at Akashi, taking in his firm and confident gaze.

He smiled in satisfaction. "As expected, you noticed. Yes, you're correct. I was the one who made it explode."

"Why?"

"Why?" The man repeated.

"Why did you go that far?"

"Wasn't that what you wanted?" The man cocked his head. "I simply give you what you wanted."

Akashi's eyes flashed. "What I wanted? I don't recall ever wanting to be trapped in a burning car."

"Not that. What I meant was that you wanted me to come to you, didn't you? If I had not set the car on fire, do you really think we would have been able to converse as we did then? Surely, you would have been surrounded by kind people who would have helped you right away."

Akashi frowned. Honestly, a part of him held anger at the man's excessive actions, but he had said was true. Back then, he himself had thought so, that it was only because of the fire that no one approached him.

"And you wouldn't want your secret to be revealed, right?" The man continued. "If the public were to know about it, the reputation that you've built for yourself would have all been destroyed, and you will be known as nothing more than an insane man claiming to have supernatural abilities.

"So I took some measures to ensure that no one would approach you, and risk your little secret being exposed to the world."

Akashi glared at the man. Even faced with Akashi's glare that had caused many to quiver and fall to their knees, the man showed no signs of being intimidated at all. Seeing that, Akashi let out a soft huff.

Since he had already managed to get an answer to his question, Akashi abruptly switched topics.

"When are you going to reveal your identity to me? You had avoided my question during the accident. From our first encounter until now, it's already been half a year. Isn't about time for you to stop being so secretive?"

The man blinked once, then his lips quirked up into a smile.

"Ah, yes. It was very entertaining to see you trying your best to search for me these past six months. You gave me a very different image from what I had of you. It was unimaginable, really. To think that the stoic and ruthless charismatic businessman Akashi Seijuurou would actually do such reckless things just to satisfy a curiosity... How truly _human_ of you."

Akashi scowled at the man.

"What in the world are you?"

The man pushed himself away from the wall, walking forward to where Akashi was. He seated himself at the corner of the bed, letting the moonlight wash over him. It was the first time Akashi was able to get a good look at the man's appearance.

Pale snow-like skin was covered with a simple, close-fitting white shirt. A pair of dark pants and dark shoes completed the outfit. It was such a typical, unassuming attire. No one would even care enough to pay attention to a person dressed in such plain clothes. Was that how the man was able to blend in with the crowd so seamlessly?

"Akashi Seijuurou, you can see the timing of a person's death as well as the way they would die, am I right?"

Akashi's eyes snapped back to the man's face; the blue eyes looking at him were now completely devoid of emotions. It instantly made him cautious.

How did he know? Back then, during their encounter in the burning car, the man had indeed mentioned something about being able to see a line of numbers. Perhaps, could it be that this man actually has the same abilities as he does?

"Yes, I can." Akashi eventually replied.

"It's actually my first time meeting someone like you." The man revealed. "You had intrigued me, and so I wanted to make contact with you. But I never did expect things to escalate to this point. Who knew that you would actually try to end your own life?"

Akashi turned away, his expression filled with displeasure.

"I wasn't planning on killing myself."

"You might as well have, seeing as how your actions are so reckless."

Akashi remained silent, and the man chuckled.

"Looks like you clearly understood just how rash you were. Indeed, if I had not saved you by giving you some _time_ , you really would have died back then."

Akashi turned back to face the man, and asked, "What exactly do you mean by giving me 'time'? Do you mean to say you are a god?"

Blue eyes blinked in surprise. "I've never been asked such a question before." The man said. Then, he tilted his head, thinking. After a while, he spoke.

"Humans have many beings that they call 'gods', don't they? And many of these 'gods' are viewed as beings who would help humans, who would grant their wishes and perform miracles for them if they prayed hard enough."

With a little smirk, the man said, "If that is your idea of a god, then, unfortunately for you, I am not a god."

Akashi stared at him, his confusion clear in his eyes.

Cautiously, he asked, "If you are not a god, then what are you?"

The man fell silent, his gaze becoming distant for a brief moment before focusing again. He stared fixedly at Akashi; his eyes cold and empty, and a jolt of alarm went through Akashi.

 _Those eyes._

It was like looking into the eyes of a dead person, soulless and terrifyingly blank. And yet, at the same time, Akashi could see a swirling darkness within them. If he were to look long enough, it felt as though he would be sucked in, to a deep, deep, darkness that would consume him from the inside out, one where he would never be able to free himself from.

His stomach crawled with discomfort, and goosebumps rose along his suddenly clammy skin.

A feeling that had slipped his mind came back full force. Yes, that's right. He remembered now, back during the accident, he had felt this exact same thing; that those light blue eyes seemed to be able to see through everything about him.

Eventually, the man's gaze shifted away from Akashi. He turned his head, tilting it up slightly to stare straight at the brightly glowing full moon in the sky. He blinked slowly, those blue eyes of his catching the light of the moon, causing them to take on a silvery sheen.

"I am simply a being that exists together with time." The man murmured.

"…What?" Akashi cocked his head, bemused.

"If 'Time' could ever be tangible, then I am the physical manifestation of it. However, 'Time' is just a concept, a knowledge that those who are sentient holds. But as the world continues to live on, so do the beings within, and they constantly bring about new changes and knowledge – both good and bad. And so, I came into existence in order to control this.

"I take the form of humans, because they are the ones who will eventually move this world towards its end. And because humans hold the most knowledge, therefore, they are also the most judgmental. They deny those that are different from them, be it consciously or unconsciously. By using this form, I am readily accepted as a human even though I am not one."

The man brought his gaze back onto Akashi, who was displaying an uncharacteristic face of pure astonishment. His eyes were wide, and he was staring unblinkingly at the man. A myriad of expressions were flicking through his stunned gaze, and only when it had settled down somewhat did the man continue to speak.

"Using this appearance, I blend in with this world and watch over all living things, from humans to animals to nature. I erase what must be erased, and let live those that should live."

"…Erase?" Akashi finally managed to utter out a single word.

"Yes. When troublesome things that will cause too much damage to this world appears, I will erase them all. I will take away their given time, and make it so that their existence will completely vanish from this earth."

Akashi's eyebrows knitted together as he processed the man's words. He was surprised, yes. But he wasn't extremely shocked, for he himself has done terrible things. Though he has not killed nor ordered anyone to kill, through his harsh methods, there were people who had committed suicide before. Mostly, they were Akashi's business rivals; those that Akashi had driven to the ground or bought over their companies, leaving them with absolutely nothing to their name.

The title given to him as 'the most ruthless, fearsome businessman', was not just for show after all. Akashi Seijuurou was not a defenceless lamb. To carve out a name for himself, to get to the top of the business world, he has trampled over others without remorse.

Therefore, the fact that the man apparently killed as he wished did not matter much to him.

What was bothering him right now though, was something Akashi couldn't find an explanation for. Somehow, after the revelation from the man, something had shifted within Akashi. He didn't – _couldn't_ – understand it. All he knew is that the more he stared at the mysterious man, the longer he was in his presence, a sense of inexplicable hatred was building up.

Why?

Why was he feeling like this?

He felt off-balance, couldn't rationalise through the emotions like he usually would. It's as though his body was no longer his, and he could only watch on his body was controlled by some unseeable force.

This could not go on any longer. Akashi did not like being unaware, even more so since it involved himself. He needed to know.

"I understand that you are not human," Akashi started, "instead, you are a supernatural being that is equivalent to a death god. But, what is with your presence? Why do I suddenly feel such a strong, unexplainable hatred for you?"

Upon hearing Akashi's words, the man's eyes suddenly seemed to glow, turning into pools of piercing silver. They pinned down on Akashi, making it difficult to even breathe. But it lasted for only a second, and those eyes returned to their original blue.

The man gave Akashi a knowing smile.

He said, "The confusing, unexplainable hatred you feel for me is only natural. Because I am _'Time'._ And everyone bears some amount of hate for 'time'. Do you know why?"

Akashi shook his head.

Seeing Akashi's wordless answer, the man patiently explained, "Because Time is something that steals away the most important things of a person. It may be someone they love and treasure, or it may even be their own memories and emotions. For example, with time, a person's memory becomes hazy and unclear. And negative emotions like anger or hatred will fade as well, but they are not the only ones that are affected. Even love will fade with time. And eventually, things that had been most important to a person will no longer carry any meaning.

"Some may be grateful to have forgotten, but there are also those who try desperately to hold on, only to fail. All living things are helpless against time. No matter how much they try, no matter what methods they use, time is still something that can never be conquered."

The man paused, turning away from Akashi. He stared out of the window, and though he appeared to be gazing out at the road below, Akashi realised that his gaze was distant, as though he was looking at something Akashi couldn't see.

After some time, he softly began talking again, "As one who exists together with time, I have received the emotions that you humans have in regards to time; both hatred and love. However, to me, they are nothing but fleeting feelings and I am incapable of being affected by such things. I do not feel guilt for my actions, nor do I carry sympathy for those whose time I have taken away. From the very beginning, I am different. Though I may have the appearance of a human, but I am not one of you."

The man shifted his gaze back onto Akashi.

"Therefore, your inexplicable hatred is instinctive. Your body, your mind, your entire existence, are all rejecting me. A self-preservation instinct, perhaps."

The man said nothing else after that.

And neither did Akashi.

The atmosphere in the room became heavy and tense. Not a single car passed by on the road, and even the night birds were completely silent. It was as though nothing dared to attempt to break the tension between the two men.

Time slowly ticked away in the suffocating silence.

After a long while, Akashi spoke. "Then, are you here to kill me?"

The man's eyebrow rose slightly, his blue eyes clearly showing his amusement. "No, I am not. Your actions so far have not been severe enough that I would have to erase your existence. Besides, why would I kill someone that I've just saved?"

Akashi frowned. That was true. Was the shock he received earlier upon learning the identity of the man before him affecting his capabilities to analyse a situation? To think he would even ask such a foolish question…

Akashi softly snorted at himself.

He was considering his next move when the man suddenly brought up the same question as earlier, the one where Akashi never did get a direct answer to.

"Akashi Seijuurou, you can only see a person's time and way of death, and nothing else, isn't that so?"

Akashi jolted in surprise, and then nodded his head slowly. After carefully processing the man's words, he realised that compared to earlier, the man had given such a specific description of his ability now. Still, he couldn't help but raise a question of his own.

"How did you know?"

A small smile appeared on the man's face. "Didn't I say that you had caught my interest? So I've been watching you. I've even seen the way your eye changes colours when you use your ability. At first, I wasn't too clear on how much you could see, so I took a look into your past. That was when I understood how your power works."

At those words, Akashi immediately tense up, eyes guarded and wary of the person before him.

"You looked at my past?" The question came out in a low hiss.

"Yes, I did." The man admitted easily, but there was an underlying hint of something dangerous in his voice.

Akashi was never one to be foolish, nor to let his emotions control him.

The challenge, the _threat_ in the man's voice, screamed out a warning to him. Narrowing his eyes, Akashi took heed of the alarm blaring in his head and chose not to pursue the matter.

He simply gave the man a curt nod.

The man studied him for some time, then he blinked, approval clear in those light blue eyes.

He stood up from the bed, walking over towards the window. He remained silent for a long while, motionlessly watching the scenery below. Akashi didn't mind, he simply waited quietly, patiently, as he observed the man.

Eventually, the man's soft voice drifted over.

"What I see is different from you, even though there may be small similarities. I am able to see everything; from the way a person has, or will live, up till the time of death, and how each and every one of their actions affects the world."

He paused.

When he next spoke, his voice was an intriguing mix of strength and power, yet it was also toneless and emotionless.

"I do not discriminate nor am I biased. It may be an adult or even a baby, I will erase anything that will be a threat to the world."

The man turned around.

From where he stood, the silvery moonlight shone down on him, enveloping his body in a pale glow. A sudden gust of harsh wind blew into the room, causing Akashi to unconsciously raise an arm to shield his face. When he lowered his arm, the first thing he saw was the man's startlingly bright eyes.

Against the light of the moon, the man's light blue hair and eyes shimmered softly, but yet, the rest of him seem to melt into the darkness. The man appeared to flicker, sometimes coming into focus clearly, but then turning blurry. It was as though Akashi was looking at him through a mirror of water.

But the one thing that remained clear throughout, were the man's piercing eyes. From the wavering darkness, that pair of eyes never once left his. They were beautiful, so beautiful, and so terrifyingly sinister.

An uncontrollable shudder ran down Akashi's spine at that sight.

With his gaze fixed on Akashi, every word of the man's next sentences resounded through the room as he softly but firmly declared, "I exist only for one thing; that is to maintain the world's balance until the time has come for everything to end."


	6. Chapter 6

"Akashi-sama, you've been making tremendous progress. Very soon, you will be able to move around freely with just a pair of crutches." The nurse that was attending to him enthusiastically informed him.

Akashi glanced at her beaming face, then moved to take a seat on the sofa without responding to her.

They were in a private room, installed with all the necessary equipment needed for Akashi's physiotherapy. Rather than constantly having to make a trip to the hospital and risk having others find out about his injury, with this method, Akashi could be at ease and focus on recovering at home. He reach out for a towel, but the nurse was a step faster and she quickly grabbed the soft white towel to personally hand it to Akashi.

"Here, please." The nurse smiled, her cheeks dusted with a deep pink as she gazed at him.

Akashi received the towel from her and then promptly dismissed her. The nurse's eyes widened in surprise and horror, and she immediately began to rapidly reason with him.

"But Akashi-sama, the recommended time for the physiotherapy has not yet been met! Don't you think it's better to continue for a little while more?"

"I'll be fine on my own. Leave."

"But you need someone to supervise you! What if you fell and hurt yourself? It's better if I stay here with you."

Akashi lifted his head, eyes narrowed into a harsh glare. The nurse was immediately silenced, and with cold, disdainful eyes, Akashi said, "I do not need your excuses. Neither do I have even a second to spare for someone who isn't serious about their job. You are hereby dismissed from your position. Leave."

The nurse flinched back, and her body began trembling so hard that even Akashi could see it. Two seconds later, the nurse was rushing out of the room, shame colouring her cheeks.

Akashi simply relaxed back into the sofa, a slight frown on his face.

"Moving freely with crutches, was it?" He lowly murmured. "As if I will allow such a pathetic sight to be seen. It's still not enough as I am right now."

He pressed the towel to his face, wiping away the perspiration.

A knock came from the other side of the door, and he called out for them to enter.

"Akashi-kun." Momoi entered the room, in her hands was a tray containing a pitcher of ice cold water and Akashi's personal cup.

She made her way to the table, pouring out some water and then handed it over to Akashi. She waited until he had downed the cup before she spoke.

"It appears that you have some dissatisfaction regarding the nurse attending to you, isn't that so, Akashi-kun?"

Akashi smirked. "Since you are well aware, then I will leave that matter for you to settle. I have no need for someone who can't even focus on their job, after all."

Momoi nodded, making a mental note to replace the nurse. "I understand."

Then, she asked about his progress.

"It's not enough yet." Came Akashi's reply.

"Understood. Will you still be continuing for the day?"

"Yes."

"Do you need me to accompany you then?" Momoi grinned, her eyes shining with a teasing light.

Akashi glanced at her, smiling slightly at her attempt to lighten the mood. He did not bother with a verbal reply, but Momoi wasn't expecting one either. With a laugh, she spun around to leave the room. Upon reaching the doorway, she paused and turned around to say, "Make sure to not push yourself too much, Akashi-kun. Overexertion is not good."

"I won't."

Satisfied with his answer, Momoi nodded, and then left Akashi alone.

She didn't have worry about him working too hard, since he has never once gone against his own words.

* * *

Akashi remained seated for some time even after Momoi had left. He took a well-needed rest, drinking down another cup of water.

With a sigh, Akashi pushed himself off the sofa, and the forgotten towel slipped from his lap to the floor. Blinking once in surprise, Akashi seated himself back down and picked up the towel. Holding onto the fluffy, snow-white towel, Akashi suddenly recalled the image of a pale, snow-like skin, and _blue_.

He stared down at the towel blankly as his mind filled with thoughts about the man who was apparently the physical manifestation of Time. Though it sounded ridiculous, like something plucked straight out from a fairytale, but he had indeed seen a display of the man's powers with his own eyes.

And from the personality that the man had shown up to now, Akashi knew that the man wasn't one to spend so much effort to whip up a lie like this. Besides, if Akashi himself was able to have the ability to see the time of death, then surely it wasn't too far-fetched for a being like that man to exist.

Even if he wanted to reject it with all his might, he had only one choice left after everything that happened; to accept that man's words as the truth.

Akashi narrowed his eyes slightly as a barely audible sigh slipped from his lips.

Staring at the towel in his hands, Akashi's eyes suddenly widened as an abrupt realization came to him. Now that he thought about it, he never did get the man's name. The next time they met, he should probably ask for it. Though Akashi already knew his appearance, not having a name to identify the man by was quite a hassle.

However, would they even be able to meet again?

Akashi wouldn't say that he was eager to see the man once more. He didn't hate him, but he didn't have that much of a good impression of the man either. In truth, he was rather annoyed at himself for feeling apprehension at the intimidating air that the man sometimes had. However, the man wasn't even human. How could Akashi win against that?

Not to mention, he had not directly hurt Akashi at all. Though he was the one who had trapped him in a burning car, but Akashi did not suffer even the slightest burn. In fact, the man had even helped to save his life. Akashi could not unjustly blame the man for the actions he had chosen to take to lure that man out. After all, Akashi had acknowledged and accepted that they were playing a game with each other from the start.

"Looks like I should get his name the next time we meet." Akashi muttered under his breath.

"Oh? A name? I do not have one."

Akashi jumped, whipping around to face the person who had somehow seated himself beside him. Speak of the devil, indeed. It was the blue-haired man that Akashi was just thinking of.

The man smiled at Akashi. "You look greatly startled. Did you think that I would have disappeared already? But you've caught my interest, you see. As long as you continue to live, I will watch over you and come to pay a visit from time to time."

The man paused, then added, "However, other than that, I do not plan to get involved in your life. I will not manipulate your thinking. Your decisions and choices are yours to make, I will not interfere, and neither will I tell you the results that your actions will bring forth."

Akashi blinked, frowning a little as he quickly processed what the man had just said. In other words, it simply meant that the man would come and disturb him whenever he wished?

…What a hassle indeed.

How does one chase away a supernatural being that was practically a god?

Akashi frowned, and then decided that that was a question for later. For now, what the man had mentioned earlier had made Akashi curious.

"You said that you don't have a name?"

The man nodded.

"I do not have a name, nor a label. For I exist only to bring ruin to where it's needed. Identifying myself has never been a concern of mine."

Akashi fell silent, contemplating the man. This man was just like a phantom of sorts, coming and going soundlessly, with an ability to completely vanish before a person's eyes. And he seemed to have quite an affinity with the darkness as well.

Akashi suddenly revealed a smirk, and the man raised an eyebrow at Akashi's expression.

"Wouldn't it be quite troublesome without a name now that you are making regular contact with a human?" Akashi smiled. "How about I give you one? A temporary name for you to use until my life comes to an end."

The man tilted his head, as though assessing Akashi's words.

Then, something flashed in his eyes. Amusement, perhaps?

Still, he nodded his consent.

Akashi's eyes gleamed with victory, but it was only for a second before it was hidden away, a serious expression taking over.

Carefully and clearly, he said, "Then, I'll name you 'Kuroko'. The literal meaning of the characters I have in mind is 'black child', but it can also mean 'Child of Darkness' which I believe is very fitting for you."

The man, now known as Kuroko, hummed contemplatively.

"Kuroko, Child of Darkness, is it?" He murmured to himself.

The man's distant gaze suddenly focused, and his piercing blue eyes took on a strange, chilling glow as he gazed fixedly at Akashi.

Then, slowly, the corners of his lips lifted.

"Alright then. From now on until your death, I shall be known as Kuroko."


	7. Final

The light sound of rhythmic tapping of a keyboard filled the silent room. Momoi Satsuki quickly and efficiently sorted out the documents before her, while typing in data into the computer at the same time.

Akashi Seijuurou had finally returned to the office – healthy and walking perfectly fine – and he had Momoi inform his business partners that he was back from his highly secretive 'business trip'.

Momoi was truly glad that Akashi had managed to recover so quickly, but a part of her was still worried. Because ever since the announcement of Akashi's return, he had been swarmed with work without even having proper time to rest. For someone who had been recently injured, it was necessary for him to not overwork himself.

But the situation didn't allow it.

During the time when Akashi was recovering, he had ordered Momoi to bring the most important and urgent work to him, and Momoi had been extremely careful about choosing which ones to send to him. Those that could be handled without Akashi, she made sure to take care of it herself. Her workload back then could be said to have increased ten-fold.

But now, it was even worse.

Momoi sighed as she stood up, gathering up a pile of files into her arms to hand it over to Akashi. Just as she was about to turn around, the phone on her desk rang. It was a specific tone, rather than the typical dull ringing, it was the sound of bells chiming. Slamming down files onto the table, she rushed to pick up the phone.

"Akashi-kun?" She questioned, rather surprised.

"Momoi, please bring in some tea and snacks. For two people." Came Akashi's order.

Momoi paused momentarily. _Two people? Did Akashi have a guest? But no one had walked past her to enter Akashi's room that was located in the inner corridor._

"Momoi?" Akashi's voice came again.

"Ah! Yes, I will bring them in immediately!"

Momoi hurriedly made her way to the office's pantry, all the while feeling rather confused. The strange guest aside, Akashi has never ordered for snacks to be delivered to his room when entertaining a client. Tea was expected, but something like snacks…

Just who was his guest?

Momoi stood in the middle of the pantry, frowning in thought. Eventually, she reached for the rarely used traditional tea set that was handcrafted by the best Japanese artisan. Seeing as how Akashi's guest was clearly not an average person, Momoi decided that using the normal teacups was absolutely out of the question.

She grabbed a little basket, artfully arranging some individually prepacked snacks within it – from cookies to little cakes, she made sure to include everything. Then she set everything on a tray, and quickly made her way back. Akashi called her in, and she cautiously entered. Looking around, she realised that there wasn't anyone in the office. She glanced at Akashi, her face clearly showing her confusion.

Akashi simply gestured to the low table, and Momoi placed the tray at the indicated area. Straightening up, she turned her head to look at Akashi once more. She actually really wanted to ask about the apparently missing guest, but seeing how Akashi appeared to be concentrating on the work before him, she decided to hold her tongue.

She quietly left, and returned to her desk only to freeze at the sight of the forgotten pile of files.

"Oh." She blinked.

She quickly gathered them up in her arms and knocked on Akashi's door once more. Entering the room, she looked towards the desk, only to find that he had somehow disappeared within those few seconds. Surprised, she quickly turned her head, and then immediately froze. Her mouth fell open in shock, and her grip on the files slackened, causing them to fall to the floor with a loud crash.

Sitting on the couch not too far away from her, was a very familiar looking blue-haired man.

The man glanced at her, a black teacup pausing inches away from his face. He placed down the cup and made his way over to Momoi. She flinched when he approached her, and when he was barely more than three steps away, Momoi's body started to tremble unconsciously, completely unable to move. The man didn't seem to pay much attention to her, instead, he bent down before her and began picking up the fallen files.

Only when the man had reached for the last of the files did Momoi snap out of her trance-like state of fear.

"Why…" The word slipped out from her lips the moment the man stood back up.

The man's expressionless face suddenly changed as a small smile surfaced. "Hello, Momoi Satsuki."

"Why are you here?" Momoi finally manged to gather herself enough to ask. "And how do you know my name?"

"You can say that I am now… an acquaintance of Akashi Seijuurou." The man simply replied.

"But why…?"

"Due to some special circumstances. Perhaps one day, Akashi may decide to explain it all to you." The man turned to look behind him. Momoi too, shifted herself slightly so that she could see what he was looking at.

There was one other person that was seated on the couch that Momoi didn't see at first; Akashi Seijuurou. Akashi did cast her a glance, but did not say anything before looking away. Momoi stared at Akashi blankly, then her gaze travelled to and fro between the blue-haired man and Akashi.

If Akashi would go so far as to have this man as a guest in his office, even serving him tea and snacks, did it mean that this man, who was clearly some kind of supernatural being, wasn't actually malicious or a threat?

If that was the case, then Momoi did not have to be wary of this man. Also, compared to before, the man did not give off the overwhelming pressure that he had when Momoi met him for the first time.

The man suddenly moved, walking towards Akashi's desk to place the files in his arms down.

Momoi startled, and immediately rushed over to the man. "My apologies! Sir, you are a guest, you shouldn't have to do such a thing!"

"It is fine." The man turned around. "I do not mind."

"But…"

"It's alright." Akashi suddenly spoke up.

Momoi blinked at him, then at the man. Seeing as how the both of them decided that it didn't matter, Momoi finally relaxed.

"Then, thank you for your help, sir." She said instead.

The man smiled at her. His little smile was so gentle, even his eyes seemed to have softened.

Momoi's eyes widened.

Never had anyone looked at her that way before; so innocently, so pure. Staring at that face in front of her, her cheeks began to warm up, turning rosy. She quickly averted her eyes.

The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat strange, and Akashi even raised an eyebrow.

The blue-haired man, whether completely oblivious to the current atmosphere or he was simply pretending not to notice, suddenly said, "Also…"

Momoi's eyes snapped back to the man.

"My name is Kuroko."

Momoi stared blankly at him for a couple of seconds before dropping her gaze and quickly nodding her head.

"Y-yes! I'll remember it from now on."

She bowed to the man, and then spun around to flee from the room. Of course, she made sure to close the door behind her. What she didn't notice was Akashi's gaze staring after her.

The room fell silent.

Akashi was the one who broke it.

"Don't you think that romancing someone when you are an ageless, timeless being, is a little too cruel?"

Kuroko turned to face Akashi.

"Romancing?" He repeated. His face and even his tone were completely expressionless, making it impossible for Akashi to tell if he was simply acting innocent.

After a short staring contest with Kuroko, Akashi gave up with a sigh.

For some reason, dealing with Kuroko was tiring. Was it because he wasn't human? Akashi had never willingly given up a fight this quickly before. With one last glance at the door, Akashi resolutely decided he didn't want to get involved in this mess. Unless Kuroko took things too far.

But he doubted that Kuroko would.

And Momoi was not one to be reckless.

Not to mention, Akashi still has not found a way to get rid of Kuroko.

Akashi had heard of old sayings about how names held power. And also tales of how naming a supernatural creature will allow one to control it, and it even applied to gods. And so, back then, he decided to give it a try. Though he did successfully get Kuroko to accept his name, nothing else had changed. Akashi had absolutely no control over him. Once he had realised that, Akashi was filled with disappointment, and could only do his best to accommodate Kuroko.

Just earlier, when he was going through the almost never-ending pile of documents, a little piece of paper appeared all of a sudden, floating down to land right in the middle of the document he was looking through. And it only contained a single line: ' _I'll be visiting'._

There was only one person that Akashi knew of who would be able to disturb him like this. At least Kuroko had the thought to send a note before he came barging in this time, unlike the previous times they met.

Forcing down his frustration, he had no choice but to instruct Momoi to prepare the tea and snacks.

With a huff, Akashi picked up the teacup, drinking down the tea as Kuroko returned to his seat. Looking up from the cup, he scrutinized Kuroko for a long while. He watched him reach for a snack, skilfully tearing open the wrapper, and then expressionlessly munched on it. After that, he washed the dry snack down with tea.

Watching Kuroko, Akashi began to recall things from his childhood. More specifically, it was a certain feeling: helplessness.

He has experienced this feeling of helplessness many times when he was a child. When his mother passed away, he had lapsed into a period of despair; unable to control his own power, feeling so overwhelmed. Until one day, he had enough. He hardened his heart and resolved to make sure that he never felt that way again.

Of course, he was successful. He brutally eliminated anything that stood in his way, anything that would prevent him from getting what he desired.

But facing Kuroko now, all the walls and shields he had built to protect himself seem to crumble without a hint of resistance. And a feeling that he has long forgotten began to crawl up and fill him up to the tips of his fingers.

He desperately wanted to deny it, to reject it with all his might, but no matter how tightly he closed his eyes and pretended not to know, it was always there, steadily forcing its way into Akashi's defences and making itself known.

It was the feeling of utter helplessness and the fact that Akashi could never win against Kuroko.

Akashi stared down at the black teacup in his hands, thumbing the smooth surface. As he gazed at his own vague, distorted reflection, a deep sense of tiredness suddenly enveloped him.

Maybe, maybe he should just resign himself to this fate of being bothered by a supernatural being until his death.

When the thought crossed his mind, though it was unpleasant and it annoyed him, Akashi discovered that he didn't actually hate the thought of it.

It might not be too bad, after all. Because wasn't life unpredictable?

Who knows, maybe as the years pass, interesting things might happen now that he would be in constant contact with a supernatural being.

Akashi closed his eyes, and when he slowly opened them again, they were clear and calm. The unpleasant feelings have settled down through his acceptance.

A curious yet calculated glint flashed through his eyes as he raised his teacup to his lips.

Kuroko looked up then, meeting his eyes.

Akashi did not avert his gaze.

A pause, and then a corner of Kuroko's lips curled up in amusement. In return, Akashi gave him a smirk, then tilted his head back to finish his tea.

That's right.

It isn't over yet.

Right now, from this moment, a new game has started.

One that will last until his death.

* * *

 **End**.


End file.
